Railways - most poezdatye trains in the world?

In our recent autotravel in Finland, we have decided to do part of the way by rail. There travel by train, you can chat with your car!

And you, by the way, you know that recently Moscow has also become possible to come to Helsinki by train Railways? For some 664 euros you get a ticket for the car transportation there and back shelf in the 4-seater coupe with no outlets and key, with three unknown passengers, so as not to miss the road, and the dream of a soul at the end of the trip.

You ask: "Why do I need a return ticket?" Not decided on the exact date of the end of the trip? Or you think to visit on the way back to St. Petersburg grandmother and uncle in Valdai, to bring them to full trunk box and cloudberry Lapland cheese? Remember! Railways carefully save you from a tiring trip behind the wheel!

And give you a double refreshing night walk on icy aprons border stations Buslovskaya and Vainikkala, for inspection of your vehicle by border guards that it is unlikely that it will find there, because Russian Railways has already taken care of that all your stuff, you obviously took in the compartment, and inspection - it's just an excuse, well, just to breathe the air could, helpful, say, before bedtime. However, let everything in order, because I still wanted to tell you about the Finnish train!

I would like to remind you of a historical fact, maybe someone forgot it: the first railways in Finland were to supply the Russian side, because when invented the steam locomotive, Finland was still part of the Russian Empire, and therefore track width there, as well as throughout Russia - 1520/1524 mm. After the revolution, when Finland became an independent country, laid on their territory became part of the Russian rail Finnish Railways. Finns began to move on the track of 1435 mm pan-European standard, and the Soviet Union until 1985 supplied them with electric locomotives built at Novocherkassk plant, they still ride our northern neighbors. The rest - like the two parts once one network does not become similar to each other during this time! Soviet electric locomotive in Rovaniemi Station. By the way, I surprised that here they also perform the role of a shunting locomotive.

Railways can be reached by trains from Russia to Finland, including the direct night train from Moscow to Helsinki, "Leo Tolstoy", as well as the recently launched high-speed train "Allegro" operating on the route Saint Petersburg - Helsinki. I have so far only experience dobiraniya to get on the train "Leo Tolstoy". Distance in 1108 kilometers of the train overcomes in 14 hours, a ticket to the conventional 4-seater coupe is worth 107 euros. In a compartment of the train, I did not find an electrical outlet to recharge the laptop, in addition, it was not possible, as in most Russian trains, go to the dining car (or even just in the toilet), a closed coupe with a key. In that case, I have, of course, is "trohgranka", but what to do with strangers neighbors coupe? I may be paranoid, I do not throw things. Fortunately, I usually go and no one can leave someone "on the suitcase."

One day I had to go to some more modern car, there were provided and sockets, and even that's a miracle - a TV that really showed only noise. Yet there were automatic doors, vacuum toilets and other elements of civilization. However, as the saying goes, one added the other for some reason removed: in this modern car missing "lockers" (those boxes under the lower shelves, threw the bag back and go to sleep myself to them quietly, one night in the quiet not soprot). But most importantly - in the compartment had electronic locks! However, the keys to them were not given. The conductor said, almost all of them, or lost or stolen, and with no new supply plant. Well, you understand, "still it is ours, our Rush".

On another occasion, I traveled from Moscow to Prague in evrovagonchikah, standard RIC. There was even a sink in the compartment. But their main nedostaok lay in the fact that such a compartment were triple and very close. As they say, no candle for god nor a poker for hell, but if you go way, and to be at the same time is not very large, it is normal. It looked like a coupe like this:

About reserved seat of Railways, I do not want to say, a hundred years they did not go, and the same number at least I'm not. Especially after a trip to the "reserved seat" Finnish trains.

Someone I now have probably read, and say, they say, well, just spoiled the whole country in such trains more than half a century goes and nothing. And just such a glamorous, here also have cars Railways, in which even the toilets with a shower in the compartment! Yeah. Yes Yes. I know these cars.

A coupe looks like this:

There are a coupe seems to be on the train "Leo Tolstoy", Moscow, Helsinki, but it is a pleasure 23-something thousand rubles. One way! However, for all compartments. Here dear reader exclaim, livid with irritation: "You're quite snickering, Roma! You want comfort, pay Grandma! "Easy, easy, my dear. Just breathe deeply and read on.

Finnish avtovagony.

Let us now recall the Railways service with car transportation. Carriages for transportation of cars, too, is now cling to "Leo Tolstoy". yet not offered in other areas of service, although I believe that it would be in great demand, I would have preferred to get to some of the city with the car on the train and then have a full independent freedom of movement. If price is not the reality.

Wait, do not open rzd.ru site, I have gathered all the data. Or not, open it in a new browser tab and take a look, and then suddenly I do not believe it. Oh, write me, how long did it take you from the opening of the site before the discovery of this information? And then open the vr.fi site, and there again the same action. For the most advanced users - try to book a ticket here and there, especially in the format "Coupe + Car" and share experiences.

Rovaniemi Station

Now we read in black and white on the website Railways: 450 euros for the transportation back and forth. Plus 4 euros for reservation of transport and 0, 3 euros for every 100 euros a declared value of the car. Moreover, and this is very important: the passage of the vehicle can be issued ONLY back and forth. That is, you need to determine in advance the duration of the trip and the day of return. Not a ride, and then, if you were planning to come back from Finland by car on their own. Incidentally, customs regulations, as far as I know, prohibits return from EU countries without a car, leaving her there, but she will leave its course or on a train, this clarification does not remember. Railways may chudit imposes its service? Interior view of the Finnish avtovagonov.

Do you think this nuisance end? Ha! They are just beginning. You will be required to pick up your bags from the trunk of the car and stomp them in the compartment. You do not have to lock your car and do not include signalization. In the car, you can leave only what he completed according to regulations: first aid kit, fire extinguisher, tools, spare wheel, warning triangle, etc .. We could explain it to customs and border zamorochkami, except that the vehicle inspection at the border all exactly foreseen. (and even if you do a little deal with the conductor, and he closed his eyes to your minivan stuffed full of arms and drugs?).

Apparently, even though I may be wrong, on the border you are pulled out of any warm in the cold compartment, lead in sneakers and sweat pants on the icy platform to avtovagonu and will inspect your car. Why not have all these formalities at the station during the loading of the car, and there locked him in the end, for such little money?

In Finland: put the car in the car, things can be left inside, lock the car or not - it's your business.

Let's say, it's been a border bureaucracy, and we put up with it, like put up with still a necessary evil - obtaining Schengen visas, the need to replace the free pages of passports or on the expiration of its validity, and searches at airports and border crossings. Let's go back again to his beloved and native Railways.

Railways are pleased to offer you a shelf in 6-reserved seat, since you have not accumulated in the compartment with shower

This is because the price was only for the transport of the car! From above you will need to pay another 107 euros for a place in the four-seater coupe, well, or those 23-something things, if you do not want to shake 14 hours on the train without a shower and a toilet in the corner of the bed. If we can not go back to the car under its own power, we multiply this sum by two. How many there is incident to a minimum? 107 * 2 = 214, 214 + 450 = 664. The cost of a compartment with a shower even do not want to consider. And that if you are traveling alone, and with the car, not including other fees. If we divide into two (even when traveling with a car in Helsinki from Moscow is not available), you get 332 euros, for the money you dovezut at one end, in the same compartment with three strangers, with the car at a distance of 1108 kilometers. The coupe will be rosettes, shells, and in the car is not even a shared shower. Incidentally, the book immediately and baggage car, coupe and "one-click" as the Finns, Railways is not possible on the site: do it all alone!

If dear reader mastered up to this point, he will think, why I immediately threw all these calculations and for that I am so happy troll Railways. Oh, did not violate whether my dream glory Varlamov and other bloggers-brawlers? So we got to the main, now all understand.

Advertise with VR. Actively use images of statues with the Helsinki railway station.

The applause at the scene there is a Finnish colleague and partner of Russian Railways - VR, in a white suit on svezhevyglazhennom greens shirt. Railways fat man in a gray-red sviterochke departs aside and nervously lit a cigarette first cigarette (from behind the scenes at this time looks Gennady Onishchenko and shaking his finger reminds us that smoking kills).

So what do we offer VR? We drove about 900 kilometers from a small Rovaniemi to Turku, together with our blogermobilem. Well, not in 1108, of course, but that some 100 kilometers in the modern world? 7-10 liters of gasoline in an ordinary passenger cars? Hour's journey without traffic jams? Moscow from end to end in its present borders? Or Moscow still more, perhaps? In general, it does not matter in this context. But for all this we gladly paid 245 euros! FOR TWO! With the car! And without a car is one place in the coupe will cost 106 euros.

Railways tramples varnished toe from Prada (if such fees it probably can not afford) the butt of the first cigarette, gets just two new and strike sharply cigarette lighter. What are you talking about, sir? Gray-red sweater with Prada - moveton? Well, and rates it with comfort level, too, is somehow not tally, at least in comparison with the Finns. And yes, I just wrote the word "pleasure". Maybe that's all I was so impressed because the first time I traveled on the European train? So what have we got for 245 euros? See pictures. Coupe, although it is called a berth (reserved seat).

Our "reserved seat" in the Finnish train. Yes, I do not sealed up, "berth" in English means "reserved seat" or "bed", it was under this term is spelled out on the website and in the VR ticket.

Three 220 volt outlet in the compartment, but still there are two separate alarms for each passenger. Sink. If necessary, if you are traveling with children or the company, two coupes can be combined into one, provided the door between them.

Another liked branded bed linen. And there are normal duvet covers and sheets are not stupid, in which we must also somehow managed to wrap a blanket! Nothing needs to receive or take, to lay, and even more so to pay separately. He came into the compartment all clean, ironed, already bed and ready for your arrival, as in a hotel. A Railways? Weak, yes?

Now I want to imagine such a pillow, duvet covers and sheets! At full sereze! Where to order them?

Desk, the total truth, but tell me in what trains Railways we have shared shower? And you know that it constructively, in general, is provided, even in the very old "amendorfovskih" cars? Or maybe I rarely go somewhere and they still work?

From left to right: common shower in the car, shared toilet, separate shared toilet for children (all necessary in such cases, of course, there are hygiene products).

The second shared toilet in the car is designed for people with disabilities and passengers with children. It is more spacious, it has a handrail, folding table for swaddling children, pot, sink and necessary hygiene items. The door opens to the toilet touch key, also called non-contact with water faucet (as well as in the conventional toilet) and poured soap. All the toilets next to the toilet and there is a mini-shower, you know, for what purposes. This is the way all are available in all public toilets in Finland.

Sliding Doors lock key, two keys for passengers and one key to the shared shower. You can safely close the compartment and go to the dining car, which we actually did. And at the same time we examined the Finnish train.

Keys to the coupe and soul

The second floor of the car. There are arranged a compartment with lavatories (sleeping compartment). Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of a coupe. It is, of course, less pathetic than similar Railways train compartment as shown above, it is somewhat similar to that in which we were traveling, including on the area, but there are still quite a compact bathroom with shower.

Do you know how much is a ticket to this "major" compartment with shower and toilet in VR? Pause. Here RZD end cigarettes and lighter breaks, he spat on the floor and muttering something unprintable leaves the stage under the whistling and hooting from the audience. So. It costs 266, 63 euros, also with car trafficking and also for two. At least, so says the website is now vr.fi. Count there at the rate of 23-something thousand rubles for the same exclusive service of Russian Railways.

If you are traveling alone, will pay 248 euros for a coupe, but for where we were going, - 179, 96. When traveling without a car (Autopack) fare in this coupe will be 116 euros per person and 233 euros for two .

By the way, I do not think that here in the night at the station to you in the compartment upholstering doorframe suitcase podsyadet stranger and begins to relish slurp stockpiled in the way a hen. The "Leo Tolstoy", when almost empty car, it is in our compartment all the way somehow tucked up new passengers. At the weekend, however, all these prices are higher on average in the euro 30. "That's the, you know, flourish," as would say once a Russian president.

Stairs to the second floor

By the way, in the Finnish sleeper no conductor, he is there as it is not needed: clothes of bed, to wake you up - wake on speakerphone, or you can put a built-in alarm clock. And the tea? Tea in the dining car. Or you can make your if taken with a kettle or boiler - outlet there is. Some wagons "Admin"

In the transition from one car to another, you can see the display with his number. Do not get lost. No, it's not a train of 70 cars, it's just his "system" number.

Tambour. all automatic doors. Right - a toilet for the disabled and passengers with children, which I showed above.

Finally got to the dining car, which had a beer and a bite.

sedentary car

A third sitting of the car takes the luggage compartment.

We arrived in Turku

In Turku more traditional shunting locomotives.

The train went on to Helsinki, and cars with the machines of those who arrived in Turku, unhooked and drove to the ramp for unloading.

dumb men in work.

Further our blogermobil go on their own.

Finally, I thought. That's because like the WTO in the yard, in theory, open the door to all kinds of international competition. Do not shake the monopolistic peace RZD's time? If, with all there doychebanami is difficult, different track, and further they are from us, they would run to us at least Finnish VR? With our reality, of course, you can only dream about it, but then if they do not have the price reduced, or at least increased comfort? And in the end, Railways trains run in Finland and in other European countries, why the European train does not go to us? How do airlines. Here you have a healthy competition.

In the meantime, what happens is not profitable, we travel with a car from Russia to Finland, for the money and the "hemorrhoids", which offer us Railways, it is possible for at least two weeks, if not more, to ride on Finland in a rented car in the same place. And for 23 thousand in general on the plane can be reached in half an hour there and back, instead of shaking in a compartment with a toilet at one end. The fact that Europe's common, elementary comfortable compartment for two seats or even a compartment with a bathroom - RZD still refers to exclusive services "for the rich".